Western Journalist Finds Jihadist From New Jersey Along With A Dozen More Americans Fighting For The Islamic State

A German journalist who was embedded with ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria for 10 days said he met more than a dozen Americans among the terrorists’ ranks — but was most surprised to meet a jihadist from New Jersey.

Jürgen Todenhöfer, 74, the first Western journalist to be granted access to the fanatical group after the US launched airstrikes in August, told ABC News that the American extremists were US-born, including whites, and Arab-American.

“The guy from New Jersey. This surprised me,” he said. “You don’t expect someone from New Jersey going to join the Islamic State … They were very tough, well-informed. Some of them very successful in their own countries.